There are really only two ways of working a retro element into your sound these days if you’re in pop music; either describing your old guard influences with imagistic lyricism or embodying the energy of a classic era through the tone of your performance. I wasn’t quite sure which group Chesca belonged in before listening to her new LP Feel the Breeze the week ahead of its official release date, but now that I have, I think she’s a member of the latter without any need for debate. She doesn’t just use verses as a means of setting the mood up in her music; in Feel the Breeze, her very execution is an extension of any narrative she would construct with us utilizing words.
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The OG pop feel is impossible for us to escape in the harmonies of “Crocodile Tears,” “You Ain’t the 1 4 Me,” and “Could You Remind Me?,” and the mixing of each song supports the insular sonic atmosphere of a small nightclub. There’s definitely a big difference between trying to make a throwback and employing the rusticity of an iconic style as a means of getting something original across to us, and in this record, Chesca defines that difference with her willingness to embrace aesthetical cues from hip-hop, rock, and a moderate dose of electronica as well. There are moments when it seems like eclecticism never knew such unbridled control over an album, but it works to this singer/songwriter’s benefit because it both humanizes her every statement and reaches out to us in a relatable way.
“No Words,” “Could You Wake Up Now?,” “Woman Down” and “Let’s Say” feature beats that tell us a story through their interactions with Chesca, and although Feel the Breeze is far from a straight-up progressive pop piece, I think they anchor the sentiments of this record as a complete offering. There’s a narrative much greater than the individual emotions being brought to the table in these individual tracks, and it’s both unguarded and completely driven by the instrumental faceting in this LP and not specific lyrics. It’s honestly hard to describe something like this without using the word ‘vibe,’ as that perhaps best captures the continuity of the material without overstating some cohesiveness other acts would have made cheesy.
Feel the Breeze has been really hard for me to put down since I first heard it, and I think it goes without saying that Chesca is onto something really original in her music right now. She’s got more swagger in her step than she did in last year’s Chesca Musica – a fine listen in its own right – and if it’s put to use in the right way, I believe her momentum could become pretty difficult for the competition to stifle, regardless of whether she sticks with an indie path or goes a little more mainstream in her third album. I’m impressed by how experimental she’s getting in these ten songs and personally hope to hear her getting even zanier the next time she hits the studio.
Troy Johnstone